Tamkang University Office of the Secretariat

The Slope of Overcoming Difficulty    

The Slope of Overcoming Difficulty is a steep slope made up of 132 stone steps. Built in 1953, it symbolizes “Difficulty and Hardship,” and was the only path leading to the Tamsui Campus at TKU’s inception. It not only represents the school’s resilient spirit in developing the mountain and forest area, but is also symbolic of a larger message: that when faced with difficulties, one must work hard to overcome them by applying the values of “Simplicity, Truthfulness, Firmness, and Perseverance”. It is also a reminder that only with a vigorous and strong body can we strive forward.

 The Statue of Mr. Ching-Sheng Chang   

As the TKU Tamsui Campus was being built, Mr. Ching-Sheng Chang stood at the top of the Slope of Overcoming Difficulty with his son, the Founder of TKU, Dr. Clement C. P. Chang. Holding his son’s hand, he pointed to the spot where construction was taking place, and said: “This will be the home of our Tamsui Campus!” Shortly after, Mr. Ching-Sheng Chang fell ill, and on January 29, 1951, he passed away. To commemorate his father, whom he sorely missed, Dr. Clement C.P. Chang erected a statue of his father in the spot at which they had stood years earlier, when the Tamsui Campus was first being built. Premier Chia-Kan Yen, who later became President of the Republic of China, wrote four Chinese characters “功在作人” (pronounced “Kung Tsai Tsuo Jen,” meaning “contribution in cultivating people”) to pay tribute to Mr. Ching-Sheng Chang for his great sacrifice and devotion to education. Premier Yen’s handwriting was engraved on the pillar-base of the Statue of Mr. Ching-Sheng Chang.

The Chinese Palace-Style Classrooms 

Built in 1954, the Chinese palace-style classroom buildings are architecturally modeled after classical Chinese palaces, with green roofs and red walls. They were the starting point for the building of permanent classrooms at the Tamsui Campus.

The University Commons

Situated in front of the Ching-Sheng Memorial Hall is the University Commons, a grassy quadrangle home to TKU club gatherings, major annual events, and the memories of thousands of TKU alumni. In the center of the quadrangle is a statue, which was built and designed in 1986 by TKU alumnus and architect, Kuei-Jung Lin. The statue takes the shape of four bamboo tablets encircling one another, a symbol of books or “Tzu Juan” in ancient times. These Tzu Juan represent the four qualities of the TKU motto: “Simplicity, Truthfulness, Firmness, and Perseverance”. Seen from above, the statue looks like the pivot of a motor, rotating eternally.

 The Lee Shuan Che Monument

On December 3, 1976, in a concert featuring mostly Western folk music, Lee Shuan Che, an undergraduate TKU student in the Department of Mathematics, urged the young generation to pass on the heritage of folk songs under the slogan “Sing Our Own Songs.” He initiated a self-enlightenment movement of local folk music that started from TKU and extended to the entire island. It significantly influenced the musical preferences of later generations. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Lee’s passing, TKU and the Lee Shuan Che Memorial Foundation created a monument on the Shepherd’s Meadow—a perennially green quadrangle that is one of the students’ favorite spots for campus events. The monument, designed by Hsiu-Chi Wang, consists of a guitar-shaped metal structure, along with a boulder that has been carved in two. The epigraph “Sing Our Own Songs,” written by Hsun Chiang, is affixed to one half of the split boulder, along with descriptive commentary by calligraphy artist Ben-Hang Chang. Placed between the two halves of the boulder is a concrete block and pebbles, which represent the elements of the land that nurtured Lee, while the metal guitar framework reminds people of his esteemed talent as a songwriter.

Lucky Dolphins Milestone Statue

Situated in the roundabout at the top end of Lantern Road is this unique piece by well-known contemporary sculptor, Shiu-Chi Wang. The dolphins were selected as an auspicious university emblem based on the results of a poll that surveyed students from each of TKU’s campuses. Dolphins are among the most agile and intelligent mammals in the ocean. They are endowed with an incredible ability to swim across the four seas. Engraved on the pillar-base of the statue are four phrases that founder Dr. Clement C.P. Chang often quotes to encourage Tamkangians: “Let’s help students establish a firm foothold at TKU,” “Hold the whole world in view,” “Grasp the latest information,” and “Create a brighter future.” 

The Bronze Sculpture of the Five Tigers

“The Five-Tiger Hill” is the site of TKU’s Tamsui Campus. In Tamsui, the Ta-Tun Mountain Range extends down to Hu-Tou Shan (“Tiger’s Head” Mountain), which separates into five distinct ridges. TKU is situated on the fourth ridge. The bronze sculpture depicting five tigers embracing one another is a piece by Shiu-Chi Wang, which stands in front of the Shao-Mo Memorial Gymnasium. It represents Tamkangians’ spirit of vitality and their sense of vigor and bravery. On the pillar-base of the monument is founder Dr. Clement C.P. Chang’s inscription “The Legend of Five-Tiger Hill.”

The Tamkang Golden Eagle in the Fu Yuan Garden

The Fu Yuan Garden at the Tamsui Campus is home to the Tamkang Golden Eagle bronze statue, a gift from the Golden Eagle Alumni Association as a sign of their gratitude to the alma mater. The location of the statue in the Fu Yuan Garden in front of the Business Building allows students and visitors alike to view and appreciate it. The Tamkang Golden Eagle Award, bestowed to distinguished TKU alumni, was initiated in 1987 by two former chairmen of the Board of Trustees of TKU, Dr. Clement C.P. Chang and Mr. Tien-Fu Lin. The Award represents the highest honor conferred by the university and was set up to recognize Tamkangians who have made great contributions to the country, rendered useful services to society, created welfare for humankind, and given something back to their alma mater. The Award takes the form of a golden eagle spreading its wings, symbolizing Tamkangians, like a flying eagle in the sky, majestically overlooking the earth below.

The Global Village Sculpture

Installed on the foreground of the Shao-Mo Memorial Natatorium Complex are artworks by Ying-Feng Yang, a renowned master sculptor from Yilan, Taiwan. The sculptural artworks are shaped to form square, round, and rectangular parts, made from glossy stainless steel, which signify the globe on which a diverse range of people harmoniously live. It represents the vision of globalization that TKU is actively pursuing.

The Rising Sun Above Hsueh-Shan Tunnel

In celebrating the completion of the Lanyang Campus, the sculpture portraying the Hsuehshan Tunnel of the Taipei-Yilan Expressway was presented to Dr. Clement C. P. Chang in 1990, by “The Association for Promoting Taipei-Yilan Rapid Transit System,” and was designed by the famous Designer Zerman Hu and Lanyang Master-Sculptor Yu Yu Yang (Ying-Feng Yang) under the commission of “The Yilan Association, Taipei Chapter.” The sculpture was shaped in the form of an ancient Chinese hieroglyph “山” (“shan” meaning “mountain”). In the sculpture, the Hsueh-Shan Tunnel is located at the lower corner on the left of the shan, while at the upper corner on the left is a golden sun, rising over the Pacific Ocean and shining over Lanyang, allowing Lanyang residents and TKU faculty and students, as well as visitors from home or overseas, to appreciate the artwork and pay their respects to the unsung heroes who contributed to the building of the Expressway.

Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center

2016 marked the sixty-sixth year since the founding of TKU. TKU alumni then already spanned the globe and exceeded the number of 260,000. Over the years, quite a few alumni made repeated suggestions to donate funds to construct an international conference center. Among these enthusiastic alumni was Mr. Hang-Chien Hsu who donated 120 million New Taiwan dollars in loving memory of his parents. The Conference Center encompasses the facility with a space of 3,000 ping (about 10,000 sq. meters), and has a conference hall with seating for 380 attendees. Inauguration of the Conference center represents the culmination of our plans to strengthen the hardware aspects of the Tamsui campus. Moreover, it coincides with our university's entry into its “Fifth Wave” of growth.